The alleged assailant in a January machete attack in Fairfield that left a 74-year-old man with life-threatening injuries and the loss of a thumb appeared Friday in Solano Superior Court for more legal proceedings, a readiness conference and the setting of a preliminary hearing.

Court records indicated the next step in the case against Brandon C. Foster of Woodland is a preliminary hearing, set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 15 in Judge E. Bradley Nelson’s Fairfield courtroom, where the judge will decide if there is enough evidence to force the defendant to stand trial.

Foster, who is in his mid-40s, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, cruelty to an elder with risk of great bodily injury, and mayhem. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison. He remains in Solano County Jail, with bail set at $1 million.

Foster, who will be represented by the Solano County Public Defender, made his first court appearance on Jan. 23, four days after the reported attack occurred, according to law enforcement records. Before the assault, he was tinkering the victim’s breaker box and trying to turn off the power to the elderly man’s residence. Afterward, Foster, unprovoked, allegedly attacked the man with a machete, crime investigators reported.

Solano County Sheriff deputies arrived in the area of Abernathy and Rockville roads shortly before 10 a.m. Jan. 19, after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. Foster allegedly fled the scene after the attack.

First responders found the man suffering from major cuts over his entire body. The victim and witnesses then gave authorities a description of the defendant. Around 10:30 a.m., deputies found Foster with the weapon while hiding in a nearby orchard.

The elderly man was taken to a medical facility, where, during surgery for his wounds, he suffered the loss of his thumb by amputation after doctors determined they were unable to repair it.